The beginning of a new year always means statewide testing season is around the corner. And the goal for Clay County District Schools is to keep the well-to-do momentum when it comes to scoring.  

 The district has retained its status as No. 2 in Civics scores, as well as Top 10 in all other academic categories.  

 “We’re really proud of that result because the instruction that students receive in Clay County Schools is really focused on finding out where they are when they get to us,” said Supervisor of Assessment and Accountability Rodney Ivey. “Finding out, you know, where they are after a certain amount of instruction and then making sure that we close all of those gaps.”  

 Recently, Ivey said, the state transitioned from the Florida Statewide Assessment (FSA) into the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST). The new standardized assessments in English Language Arts (ELA), Reading, Writing and Mathematics are aligned with the Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking Standards (BEST).  

 The main difference in the FAST Assessment, Ivey said, includes heavy monitoring windows. Before, with the FSA, students were given one test at the end of the year. Now, the district can gauge where a student is when they arrive on campus. Using the BEST assessments, they continuously check to see what areas need refocusing.  

 “We have the Progress monitoring window 1, 2 and 3,” he said. “What it details for us is the culmination of the years' worth of learning, where we’re trying to measure how our students have accessed the learning, or have they made the gains that are expected,” Ivey said.  

 B.E.S.T. assessments that are not part of the FAST progress monitoring program include grades 4–10 Writing and end-of-course (EOC) assessments in Algebra 1 and Geometry.  

 “Lots of different opportunities for students to show their knowledge in those various subjects. It’s a culmination of learning.”  

Making sure to close the gaps, Ivey said, includes focusing on yearly progress and the most-at-need learners. Ivey said the final focus is also on the end goal, which is retaining the school’s graduation rate.  

 According to information released on Jan. 13 by the Florida Department of Education, the Clay district reported a 95% graduation rate, a 1.7% increase compared to the record 2023-24 school year number.  

  “We have a lot to be proud of [with] our schools. That’s a testament to a lot of the hard work with the teachers and, you know, the administration on each campus and the support that they have in place for student success.”  

 Ivey’s main advice ahead of test-taking time, which begins in April: Show up. Every day.  

 “Give your best effort each day. And then, by the end of the year, when you take your assessment, it doesn’t feel like a big pressure move, because it’s what you’ve been doing each and every day.”